Rock outfit Imagine Dragons are one of the most successful bands on the planet right now, and they’ve been able to prove that they can not only produce a hit single, they can write and record one that lasts and lasts when it comes to the charts. Some artists see their smashes rise and fall in only a matter of weeks, but Imagine Dragons have shown that their music has staying power, and they’ve made charting history this frame with one of their latest.
The group’s recent single “Believer” has now been living on the Hot 100 for 52 weeks, becoming one of the relatively small number of songs that can survive on the all-genre songs chart for at least a full year. That’s certainly an impressive showing that many artists would be jealous of, but it’s not the first time the group has managed this feat.
“Believer” is the third Imagine Dragons single to place on the Hot 100 for at least a full consecutive year, making them the first act in history to see a trio of tunes hold on for that long. A handful of artists have done so with a pair of hit singles, but according to Billboard, none have managed to tack on a third until this past week.
“Believer” joins past blockbuster hits “Radioactive” and “Demons,” which lived on the Hot 100 for 87 and 61 weeks, respectively. Those two singles were both featured on the band’s debut album Night Visions, which itself was a massive success as well, and it also managed to place on the Billboard 200, the all-encompassing tally for full-lengths, for over 52 weeks.
The success of “Believer” is possibly even more impressive than the lengthy runs of both “Radioactive” and “Demons” when taking into consideration a new rule imposed by Billboard a few years ago that can cut a song’s life short on the Hot 100. After a song has hit 52 weeks, it is automatically removed from the listing if it isn’t still charting at No. 25 or higher, which would be incredibly difficult for most tracks that have already been charting for at least a year to do. Last week, “Believer” was comfortable at No. 30 (still an impressive showing for a piece of music that has been charting for so long), but it is now gone, ending a history-making run. That rule was not in place to stop “Radioactive,” which holds the record for the most weeks spent on the Hot 100 in history.
Almost unbelievably, while Imagine Dragons are now the first band to see three songs live on the ranking for at least a year, none of them have made it to No. 1. “Radioactive” came the closest, peaking at No. 3, while “Demons” and “Believer” stopped at Nos. 6 and 4, respectively.
